Poio Reading App Review
Reviewed by Amy Adeliyi
We were given the opportunity to try out the Poio reading App. Poio helps your child learn how to read through play, in a game-world packed with letters and words. The App is aimed at children from 3-8 years old. You can use the App with IOS or Android devices,but check compatibility as older devices may not support the game.
Poio is an App created by Daniel Senn – a father, teacher and tech-expert who quit his job to find a better way for children to crack the reading code. His younger child really struggled with reading and so he wanted to find a way to support him in a fun way. This then evolved and as of Spring 2019, Poio has helped more than 100,000 Scandinavian children learn how to read.
The Challenge Of Child Literacy In The UK: Statistics from the Department for Education in 2014 revealed that one in five children in England cannot read ‘well’ by the age of 11, while further research by the OECD, conducted in 2015, found that similar percentages of 15-year-olds across the UK lacked a minimum level of literacy proficiency (18% in England and Scotland, 15% in Northern Ireland, and 21% in Wales).
My daughter could recognise the letters in her name but would often guess other letters until she got the right one. At 4 and a half she is due to start school in September and this has really helped prepare her for reading. Following the same phonic approach to reading that she will do at school will really boost her understanding. The format is easy to follow and she now swiftly moves through the games completing the levels to gain more coins to buy things for the Readling’s houses. The game will get harder depending on how quickly they complete the padlocks in the game, starting with one letter, then 2, then 3 etc. Once a word has been completed in the game it is then added to their book, they are guided to put the letters in the right order to create the word and then it is placed into the correct space in the story. You can then press on each individual word to read it, repeat it or to read the whole page.
I really like the concepts in the games and that even collecting the crystals is a learning opportunity as they are encouraged to sound out another letter to get coins. Not only is it developing the language aspect but also has numeracy by adding the coins and subtracting how many coins are left once they have got another gift for the Readling’s houses.
It’s great that it’s not seen as learning by the child and so makes it fun, my daughter asks to play her reading game (Poio) every day and hopefully this will continue as she gets further through the book. We have received the accompanying physical hardback book that she is completing in the app and I’m sure she will be very excited to see it once she has completed the whole story. You get weekly updates emailed to you, showing how far your child has progressed through the book and their expertise with different letters and combinations of letters. You will also receive tips via email on how to encourage discussion and further learning to support their reading through the app.
I would definitely recommend this app for children either starting school or who are struggling to find the fun in learning to read. It really makes learning to read an enjoyable, rewarding experience and my daughter is so excited when she gets the games right and can recognise the letters in everyday words. A 5* App, which I will be recommending to parents when my daughter starts school.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £18.99
The Poio Reading App is available for Android and iOS, for more information visit poio.co.uk or download from your favourite app store.
